First Spin
Nas Uplifts With 'N.I.G.G.E.R.' Track
For all those detractors who despised Nas' "Be A Nigger Too," he uses his new track "N.I.G.G.E.R. (The Slave & The Master)" to explain himself a bit more. Nas rhymes about ghetto life like only someone with knowledge firsthand could as he describes girls dying their hair with Kool-Aid and schools with outdated books with his usual aplomb. The hook "They say we N.I.G.G.E.R./ But we much more...We were scholars much before [there were] colleges" is the spoonful of honey that Nas may have needed before the verbal assault that was "Be A Nigger Too." Perhaps if he would have released this poignant track first, he would not have felt pressured to change the forthcoming album's title. Nas: "N.I.G.G.E.R. (The Slave & The Master)"
Comments
I hate to say it - but THIS shit right here, this SHIT right here, this shit right HERE...got me thinkin' Nas not only knows what he's doing, but he may make my favorite NYC rapper NYOIL look foolish for even weighing in. I digging this. I am 36 this year and I found another reason to listen to rap for at least another year.
Kudos to Nas. I may just be buying an album called "Nas" that was supposed to be called "N*gger". Who woulda known.
The Sponsor | May 25, 2008 7:18 PM | PermalinkIll Mami why can't Dr. King be brought into this conversation and just what in the hell is an album called NIGGER gonna teach me? the day I need to be educated by ANY rapper is the day hell freezes over. If we as a people are looking for rappers to educate us and our children then we have indeed hit the preverbal "rock bottom" i'm kinda shocked at your stance..........."But in the right hands, in this case Nas', this word can be used to teach as well" damn I am having a hard time digesting this Mami
stoneyisland | May 21, 2008 3:03 PM | Permalinkstoney, can you please tell me why Dr. King has to come into this argument? Taking a militant stance on an issue is not a crime to humanity anymore than Dr. King's meeting with Malcolm X was.
The thing to remember about Nas is that he came from "the streets," and as a voice of the streets, he is a prime candidate for elevating and educating said streets about themselves. Naming an album "NIgger" is not a wise career move, but for some artists in this world, using their voice to educate is a much more fulfilling prospect than making another street banger that can be on rotation on Hot 97 all day long.
"The streets" are akin to "the masses" in this case. The masses need to hear the song that for you was in such poor taste to get them to listen to him. This track above is to teach these same people once he has their attention. In short, this album, whatever it may eventually be called, is not for you. It is for people who have no knowledge of themselves.
"Nigger" truly is a hateful word, and its use still causes me to cringe at times, too. But in the right hands, in this case Nas', this word can be used to teach as well.
ill Mami | May 21, 2008 1:05 PM | Permalink"We need records like this" ? Dee do you seriously think Dr. King took all those ass beating so white people can stroll into Sam Goody asking for the "NIGGER" album? You are entitled to your opinion and I respect that Dee but I do not buy the logic behind your statement. If Nas wants to make a statement why not call his album "why cant Johnny read" or "why is daddy locked up" naming an album NIGGER isnt gonna change anything effecting the black community, if anything it will divide us.
stoneyisland | May 20, 2008 11:20 PM | PermalinkI completely disagree with stoney island. For one there are just a ton, no scratch that, a trillion other things that BLACK PEOPLE should be protesting and getting mad about. This is the very thing that Nas is talking about. People are not getting it at all. I'm pissed that he decided to change the title, but I also think in life that you should pick and choose your battles wisely. Why shouldn't he entitle his album NIGGER? Nas embodies everything that the word as it was intially used to be against. He's a strong black man, he's intelligent, and he takes care of his. To embody all that and more is like smacking,those who see black people as being negative, in the face. More people should be coming out to support Nas. As a matter of fact they need to be going and causing a big scene about the state of our neighborhoods and school systems. While they out there thanking God, they need to teach their kids something, instill some Godly values in them. Any black man who goes to buy the stupid records out now like Lil Wayne, and other fools is misguided and crazy, as well as any mother who listens to or allows her children to listen to that crap. No one can deny, even Nas himself, that he did go wayward with a couple of his albums(example the brave hearts). However, people also can't deny the maturity and just plain intelligence that he has present with "I know I can" and Hip-Hop is Dead, and Street's Disciple. Man we need records like this in the black mainstream music, it seems like the whole world has lost the love, but Nas is trying to put some back in the world. I'm proud of that man for doing so.
Dee | May 20, 2008 8:13 PM | PermalinkI am on record as saying that I think it is a travesty to empower white people to walk around saying nigger, be it an album title or not. That said thank God that the powers that be (white people) have stopped this title from ever coming out. Nas is in the process of renaming his album, it's sad that Nas has to resort to gimics to sell albums. His last album hip hop is dead went wood, this album will probably go wood. I use to be a Nas fan when I was younger and dumber:) however any reasonable black man who supports and album called NIGGER is misguided or just plain crazy as hell.
stoneyisland | May 20, 2008 2:03 PM | Permalink